Children of the sun
by Professor Boa
Summary: 100 years after Amaterasu defeats Yami, a new threat arises. Now two adolescents strive to figure out their strange powers, their tyes to the great goddess Amaterasu and how to save the world. First fanfic.
1. The Thief of Sei an

_My first fanfic… I love the game Okami, and this is just what I think might be a possible future after the end of the game. It's long and paragraphs aren't spaced often, but please bear with me. _

One hundred years ago, the godly wolf Amaterasu defeated Yami, the embodiment of evil, and ascended to the Celestial Plain. The Goddess then assembled the 13 brush gods in what is known as the Celestial Counsel.

When all were gathered, discussions began on how to best protect the mortal world in the coming ages. It was agreed that the many divine weapons that Amaterasu had collected during her time in Nippon would be scattered throughout the mortal world to be used in time of need

But Amaterasu, in her divine wisdom, foresaw a terrible tragedy looming on the horizon. It was then that she devised a solution, and asked two of the brush gods for a great favor. Thus begins the legend of the Children of the Sun.

100 years later

The capital of Nippon is usually a bustling place. Traders from across the land gather each day to entice their target customers with exotic novelties and art. Diplomats, politicians and royalty come to have counsel with the great and wise Queen Himiko IV. And, of course, the city children run amok among the crowds, trailing their innocent mischief behind them.

But there is another side to Sei-an city that can only be observed during the darkest hours of the night. Those that happen to venture outside their beds and their homes find the city deserted and quiet.

Denkou knew this side of the city very well. As he walked the empty streets, carrying his father's medicine, he attempted to find his favorite constellation in the night sky, Gekigami, the tiger god of thunder. He thought he had finally spotted it when a lock of his pure white hair fell down and obscured his view. He had just cut his thick mane of hair that morning, and already it seemed to have grown back to its former shagginess. He quickly brushed it away with a pale hand before speedily walking on.

Denkou had always been a pale child, his gray skin accented by his pure white hair. It had been a rough childhood, full of taunts and teases, but now, at the age of seventeen, Denkou had matured to accept his strange appearance. His mother had always told him that his strange looks only proved that he was different than everyone. She continually told him that he was destined for something great.

Preoccupied with his thoughts of appearance, maternal advice and thunder gods, Denkou didn't notice the quiet shadow waiting at the entrance to a dark alleyway until it was too late. Within a second, his arms were empty.

Denkou stood in shock for several seconds before he finally realized that he had been robbed. The amber bottle of his father's pain medicine now rested on a stranger's open palm. The unidentified man seemed amused by Denkou's bewilderment, seemingly ready to burst into laughter.

"Too easy," he said with a sly smile, "when are kids like you going to learn to stop wandering the streets at night?" His smile got bigger. "It's not safe, ya' know.

Denkou lunged at the bottle, but the robber casually dodged to the side, still smiling. He held the bottle close to face and peered at its contents. "Medicine?" his tone was less amused now. "I don't have a use for it, and I don't think it will sell," he said, his smile returning, "but it's the thrill of theft that makes it all worthwhile anyway."

Another lunge at the bottle proved ineffective. "Who are you?" Denkou whispered. He needed that medicine; his father had sent him out at this late hour to fetch something to ease his old back.

The thief grinned, tossing the bottle up and down repeatedly. "Ya' know what? I'm pretty bored tonight. You seem kind of gutsy, so I'll cut a deal with you. If you can catch me, then not only will I tell you my name, but I'll also give ya' back you're precious medicine. Deal?"

Denkou glared at the unknown thief, prompting an amused laugh. Denkou lunged a final time, to the same results. The robber leapt backwards, and turned immediately to a sprint down the open street. "Too slow!"

Denkou glanced around, but the only other person in sight was the thief, already growing distant. He took a deep breath, and let it out. Again, in, out. Slowly he felt the change all along his body, crawling through his muscles, surging through his bones. He felt his organs shifting, his skeletal system twisting and bending. His skin stung like it was being stabbed by millions of microscopic needles, numbing him.

The force of the transformation brought him to his knees, gasping. Along his arms the snow-white hair was already sprouting forth in multitudes. His chest heaved as his body contracted. His entire shape and form was changing, becoming lower to the ground, more sleek and aerodynamic. He watched as his fingers recessed into paws. He could feel his face elongating, his teeth growing, his ears moving and changing. His clothes fell away with one last seizure, and then the transformation was complete.

The entire event had lasted less than five seconds. Where the young man Denkou once stood, there now crouched a pure white wolf. The beast shook itself vigorously, as if ridding itself of something unpleasant. Then it eyes focused on the retreating form of the unknown thief, barley visible down the wide street. The wolf flexed its muscles and gave what one might mistake for a smile before launching into motion, running smoothly and confidently after his prey. The hunt was on.

When Denkou was fourteen, his life changed. He remembered the day he changed like it was yesterday. In the final weeks leading up to his first transformation, he felt irritable, tired, depressed. Then, a stormy night brought him relief.

He was lying on his sleeping mat in his small room, listening to the thunder, when it began. Suddenly, each explosion of sound seemed like it was happening inside his head, booming throughout his body with unbearable pain. He remembered gasping, trying to call out, but he was home alone. He watched in horror as his body convulsed and changed. He felt his humanity falling away with every flash of lightning, every clash of thunder.

And then, in one miraculous instant, it was done. He was no longer man; he was an exultant animal, a proud white wolf. He had never felt so good, so alive! Energy coursed through him, surging to his newly formed muzzle, which he raised to the heavens and howled a song of rejoicing, swaying in time to the storm.

Denkou did not understand his ability to change from man to beast at will, but it did not matter. The simple joy of running the streets at night in his new wild form gave him more ecstasy than he had ever imagined.

For the following three years he learned how to control his new shape, and mastered the ability to shift between bodies. Every time he changed the process became easier, and the thrill became greater. Soon his wolf form became more natural than his human body, and every day he longed for the night, the only time he could release himself.

There were times he almost did not return home at dawn, times when he nearly left the city to explore the world in his new animal form. Almost. Every time, he was stopped by thoughts of his parents, who he loved dearly. He couldn't leave them without a reason. They knew nothing about his inner wolf or his nightly prowls around the city. So he contented himself with his late night jaunts, until the night of the robbery. That's when his life began to change again.

Denkou slid around the street corner, his nails leaving a trail of curved lines in the earth. His sharp eyes caught the fleeing thief rounding another corner, closer than before. The wolf sprinted on, not losing any momentum, and rounded the next corner.

The thief glanced back at his pursuer, and Denkou saw his eyes widen in surprise as he noticed the white wolf gaining on him.

"A dog!? Where did you come from, Pooch?" His smile long gone, the unknown thief jumped onto a large crate placed outside a merchant's shop, and from there onto a small veranda. He gave another glance at the wolf below before leaping to the roof of the building and sprinting out of sight.

Denkou did not hesitate, as he jumped full speed onto the crate and up to the veranda. _This isn't over yet! _He shouted, which translated into a ferocious snarl. He slipped as he attempted to jump to the roof, just managing to hold on with his front paws. After a few seconds of fevered scrambling, he pulled himself up. A few rooftops over, the thief jumped across alleyways and streets with almost superhuman agility. The wolf pushed off again, his lean muscles straining as he leapt to an adjacent building.

The beast was gaining ground, and the robber knew it. Something drastic was needed to shake this strange follower. The thief looked ahead at a huge gap between buildings, one of the city's canals. The canals were large waterways sunken below street level and bordered by concrete walls. "That'll do," he whispered.

Denkou saw the canal ahead, and formulated a quick plan. Veering off to the left, he jumped from the roof to a street down below, not losing a step.

The thief landed on the last rooftop before the waterway. Hesitation would mean failure now, so he didn't slow down as he neared the edge and jumped. For an instant, it was pure bliss. He was hanging in the air above the canal, feeling invincible, exalted. The water glistened below him in gentle starlight. Most of all, he relished the feeling of a plan succeeding. He had escaped, proving that he truly was the greatest thief that had ever lived, something that he had expected for quite some time now.

Denkou was nearing the end of the street, where the sunken canal waited. Praying that his timing was correct, he searched the approaching water. _There!_ Denkou almost howled in relief. There, floating in the middle of the waterway was the city ferry.

The ferry master was one of the only people that Denkou regularly saw each night when he went prowling. An insufferable insomniac, the ferry master drifted through the city canals each night, searching for any rare late night passengers.

Denkou centered himself with the ferry, which was nothing but a large raft, and leaped from the canal wall at full speed. A few short seconds of flying, and then he landed on the soggy deck boards of the raft, sending out a voluminous amount of water in all directions.

The ferry master, who was lazily propelling his boat along with a long pole, had only milliseconds to gape in surprise at his new passenger before the wolf leaped from the small craft to the other side of the channel and dashed onwards.

The thief landed hard against the side of the canal, barely managing to grab the top of the concrete wall with one hand. Groaning, he pulled himself up and over. Landing on the ground waiting on the other side, he allowed himself a quick triumphant chuckle. The nearest bridge was several blocks away; he had lost the wolf for sure.

A deep growling interrupted his celebration. Out of the gloom ahead stalked the white wolf, its lips curled in obvious hostility.

"How…did you…?" For once, the thief was at a loss for words. His back was to the canal wall. He was effectively cornered. The chase was over.

The thief regained his composure quickly. "So it comes full circle."

Strangely, he abruptly changed subjects. "Have you ever heard of my great uncle? He truly was the greatest thief of all time. He was known as the great…Hayazo." The thief appeared to get lost in memories, his face blank and his eyes dull. Denkou continued to watch him, confused on what to do next.

The thief smiled in adoration as he spoke his next words. "One hundred years ago, my uncle held this city in his horrible grip. Those that walked the streets at night were guaranteed to come home with less yen than they left with. The people were terrorized, afraid of every shadow in the city, locking their doors and holding their valuables tight."

The thief's smile ceased, and he bowed his head. "Until…one night. A white wolf appeared without forewarning, and attempted to chase down that masterful thief."

Denkou stopped growling and perked his ears. He knew the thief was most likely trying to distract or stall him, but something seemed sincere about his story. _A white wolf…one hundred years ago? _He thought. Surely he wasn't speaking of the great Amaterasu?

The thief continued with his head down. "That night, the white beast put an end to my uncle's reign of terror over this city. Now it appears I too am about to be ended by a white wolf."

The thief raised his head, allowing Denkou to see that his eyes were once again filled with cunning. The thief was shouting now. " But I am greater than my uncle! A mere animal will not best me so easily! I will make this city my own! I will become the greatest thief in Nippon! I am Hayazo the second! And YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!"

His shouts echoed across the city. The thief smiled at the confused wolf standing before him, and whispered something barely audible after his bout of yelling. But Denkou's sharp ears heard it loud and clear. "Catch."

The next instant was the longest in Denkou's life. The thief threw the amber bottle of medicine, which the wolf caught easily in his mouth. At the same time, Hayazo exploded into thousands of copies of himself, running in different directions, leaping above buildings. The crowd overcame Denkou, washing over him like an ocean wave.

And then all was still. The white wolf stood alone on an empty street, with an amber bottle clenched between its teeth…

_To be continued…Maybe…_

_So that's part one. I know it's kind of long but I think it's not bad._

_If I get some good reviews I'll write part two. Constructive criticism is always accepted._


	2. The Stone Gate

Wep'keer is always a quiet place. Few visitors ever arrive in the far northern reaches of Kamui, and the citizens tend to stay inside near the fire unless work or errands force them outside. The daily sounds of the city are usually limited to the quiet whine of the cold northern winds, and the incessant sound of the city's lone merchant fidgeting, trying desperately to warm himself.

Today was no exception. Snow slowly drifted from dark clouds, which obscured the sun and made it impossible to distinguish night from day. The city citizens were nowhere to be seen on the winding trails the connected various parts of the city. Except one.

A girl of seventeen was marching through the accumulating snow, her head held high. She was pale, which may be because she lived in a land of little sun, and her hair was as white as the snow that fell around it. As was the tradition of every tribe member, she wore a mask any time she went out into public. But under the mask, which depicted a roaring grizzly bear, her eyes were alight with indignation.

The merchant glanced up from his merchandise as the girl walked bye. "Hello Koori!" he said cheerfully, despite his chattering teeth.

The girl didn't respond or even look at the freezing man, just continued her determined strides forward.

The merchant watched her go and whispered under his breath, "Temper-tantrum." He then began vigorously rubbing his numb arms against his sides, still shivering.

Tenka was tending the fire when Koori arrived at his hut. "Koori," he said, without turning around to face the door, "How can I help you?"

As the chief of the Oina tribe, Tenka was used to the villagers seeking his help. But as he turned, he saw that Koori definitely didn't want help. When you live in a society that masqueraded each and every day, you became skilled at figuring out the emotions of those around you, even if their face is covered.

Right now Tenka could tell that the girl was clenching her teeth with anger. In fact, she seemed so angry that the chief half expected the snow on her deerskin jacket to begin steaming.

Koori paced over to the old man and shoved a crumpled piece of paper at his masked face. Tenka knew what it was without looking at it. It was a beautiful sketch done hastily by firelight, depicting a crying baby lying in a snowdrift, surrounded by a crowd of masked people. At the bottom there was a small label that simply read "baby found in snow" and the date. It was drawn exactly seventeen years ago.

Tenka gave a sad sigh and handed the artwork back to Koori, who snatched it away furiously. The old man opened his mouth to speak, but the girl cut him off.

"Is that me?! You found me seventeen years ago in a snowdrift, and never told me!?"

Tenka opened his mouth again, but Koori continued her shouting.

"You were never going to tell me that my 'family' isn't even related to me!? How many lies did you have me believe!? Do you even know who my real parents are!? Where I came from!? I HATE you and I HATE this city and I HATE everything because I don't know what's true and what's just another lie that you fed to me over the years! I HAT-"

Tenka slapped her across the face, her wooden mask falling slightly askew. "Control your temper, child!" The chief shouted harshly. "It was for your own good! We were going to tell you when we felt you could handle the truth, which, obviously, you can't."

Both stared at each other for several seconds, the tension as tight as bowstring. The silence was ended by Tenka. "Where did you find that?"

Koori looked disdainfully down at the sketch she was holding. "In father's storage chest, buried deep under piles of old useless crap. Or, should I say, the person who pretends to be my father?"

Another few seconds of glaring at each other, and then Tenka turned away and sighed quietly. "We were going to wait another few years before we told you, but we can't change the fact that you know now." He whispered to himself, just barely loud enough so that Koori could hear. "But I do not know where you came from. Only one person can reveal to you your true origins."

"Who?" Koori's glare seemed to bore through Tenka's mask, penetrating his soul and mind.

Tenka sighed again. "At the very end of the cursed forest, Yoshpet, there stands an ancient stone gate. The person you seek will meet you there. Perhaps in a few days you can…"

"I'm going now." Koori called over her shoulder as she exited the hut.

"No, wait!" Tenka sprinted to the doorway. "You'll never make it without a guide!" But it was too late. The girl was gone.

Isus was cold. Really, really cold. It didn't help that the snowflakes were nearly as big as he was. _Life as a poncle can really suck sometimes, _he thought to himself. Standing near the entrance to Yoshpet, he crossed his arms and drew his small cloak around his tiny body. It didn't help much.

_I just _had _to know what it was like outside the forest, _he thought, mocking himself. _No one told me it was this frickin' COLD!_

Shivering, he surveyed his surroundings. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but snow. And a few trees.

_There's not even anything cool out here! _He huffily turned himself around and began hopping back into the forest. _Amaterasu dammit, I'm going back to Ponc'tan._

"Wait!" A girl's shout made him stop.

Koori sprinted up to the small man, panting from her long run to the forest from Wep'keer. "You poncles know how to get around the forest, right?" She asked between gasping breaths. "Can you lead me to the stone gate in inner Yoshpet?"

Isus stared at the girl for a few seconds before turning and hopping back into the forest. "Fat chance," he said as he bounced quickly away.

"No…no wait!" Koori called after the retreating speck, but Isus paid no mind. Soon the poncle had completely disappeared into the trees.

Koori immediately shed her thick clothes and her wooden mask, revealing her attractive face beneath. Taking a few deep breaths, she stood there nude among the snow. Then she began the change.

He muscles bulged against her skin, almost as if they wanted to escape their bodily prison. Her bones pushed and grinded against each other, realigning into new structures and patterns. She fell onto the snow and began convulsing as pure white hair grew from every square inch of her skin.

Her fingers shortened and recessed into paws; same with her feet. Another convulsion, and her mouth and nose elongated. She felt her teeth burst through her gums, growing long and sharp. Her ears grew and turned pointed while her body made the final adjustments. She righted herself on all four legs as her organs and muscles found their correct place and settled into their new home. And it was done

The entire event had lasted less than five seconds. Where the young woman Koori once stood, there now crouched a pure white wolf. The beast stretched luxuriously before sniffing the snow in front of her. The smallest whiff of a scent trail led into the forest, left by the poncle. The wolf gave one long, low growl before launching into motion, kicking up a large wall of snow behind her. The hunt was on.

Every member of the Oina tribe gains the ability to change into a wolf at a young age, so the fact that Koori could transform at will was accepted as normal. However several things about the transformation were not normal at all.

Oina tribe members usually undergo their first transformation between the ages of seven and twelve. Koori had undergone her first transformation at the age of fourteen, something almost unheard of.

Also, Koori's bear mask did not alter her transformation at all. Oina tribe members gain their mask at age seven in a sacred ritual, and the mask itself becomes their most valued possession. Usually when a tribe member shifts to their wolf form, some features of their mask are carried with them. Tenka's wolf form had a ring of beautiful blue feathers around its neck, due to his mask, which depicted a crane. But Koori's wolf form was plain and simple. A pure white wolf, with no features at all reminiscent of a Grizzly bear.

And, of course, there was the transformation itself. Usually tribe members slip easily into their wolf forms without any trouble. But Koori convulsed and suffered from massive seizures when she changed, only cementing the fact that she was different from all the other tribe members. She had been teased often as a child, but bullies soon learned that Koori had an explosive temper that was potentially dangerous to any child that made fun of her.

Isus heard something crashing through the underbrush behind him. Turning, expecting to see a deer of large rabbit, his eyes went wide as he saw what was trailing him. A white wolf came storming towards him, plowing through thick snowdrifts as if they didn't exist. The beast's eyes were full of anger, directed fully at _him._

The young poncle almost wet himself as the hellhound approached. He was finally stirred into action as the wolf was almost upon him.

Hopping faster than he ever believed possible, Isus darted between trees and across small frozen streams, desperate to reach Ponc'tan and safety.

"Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!" He shouted somewhat stupidly. He had a sudden thought. _I don't want to look like a sissy coward when I get to Ponc'tan. "Isus is running from the big bad wolf, look at him! Ha ha!" _The poncle felt somewhat more confident now. _It's just a stupid ol' wolf, what harm can he do? _

Isus looked over his shoulder, sure that he had already lost his pursuer, only to see the wolf's many sharp white teeth, a few inches away and ready to gobble him up. The poncle nearly doubled his speed. "WOLF! WOLF! WOLF!"

Koori was having fun. She stayed slightly behind the fleeing poncle, snapping at him if he slowed down. They were surprisingly going quite fast.

_I should have just attacked him in the first place, _she thought gleefully. She snapped at him again, tearing a small piece off of his cloak.

Isus had never been so glad to see Ponc'tan in his life. The stump that housed the poncle city was just ahead, just a few short hops away. _I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it! _He thought with immense relief.

Suddenly, everything went dark as something huge leaped over Isus, landing in a cascade of snow between the poncle and Ponc'tan. The white wolf, covered in a light layer of snow, pounced on Isus.

Isus struggled to escape from under the wolf's paw, but it was too large. His entire body was pinned down, with only his head sticking from underneath the beast's paw. The wolf looked down at her trapped prey and made a deep, throaty sound that sounded strangely like chuckling.

Isus had heard that sound before. "Wait a sec'! You're one of the Oina wolves." The Oina and the poncles were on friendly terms.

Realizing whom this mysterious wolf probably was, Isus gave a sheepish grin. "You're that girl I met at the entrance right?" He gave an unconvincing chuckle. He was still shaken from the chase.

"Well…the whole chase was fun and all, but I better be back in Ponc'tan before dinner, so maybe you could just let me…" He was interrupted by angry growling.

"Right, right, the stone gate…of course I'll lead you there! I'm a nice guy an' all." He gave another weak chuckle.

Koori slowly lifted her paw, keeping her eyes on the poncle that clambered from underneath.

"Uh…my name's Isus. What's yours?" The poncle took a stab at friendly conversation. Koori replied with another deep growl.

"Right, right, the gate, of course, the gate, I'll show you the way!" Isus was frantic as he hopped further into the forest, his voice nearing hysteria. Koori followed with another chuckle. She could get use to this.

The wolf and the poncle arrived at the stone gate a short while later. It was placed in a quiet clearing, where little snow seemed to fall. Large and imposing, it's strange stonework and it's seeming isolation only made it more mysterious.

"So here it is, the stone gat just as I promised." Isus, slightly calmer, led Koori into the clearing.

Koori approached the gate, gazing upon it in awe. _This, _she thought, _is where I learn the truth. _However, as she looked around, she realized there was no one but Isus in sight. Where was the person she was supposed to meet?

Isus watched the wolf for a while, and then turned back. "Well my job's done. I trust you can find your way back out…" He took a few hesitant hops, then turned and checked the wolf. When he noticed the beast was preoccupied with looking around and not attacking him, he began leaving.

"Wait, Isus." An old voice, echoed the clearing. Koori looked up in surprise, but she could see no one. Isus halted, pivoted around and faced the gate. "Aw, gramps, why do _I _have to stay?"

The voice echoed again. "So, young wolf, you came to learn your origins, huh? Took you long enough."

Koori finally found the source of the echoing voice, and stared in shock. There, standing upon the stone gate, was the former celestial envoy, Issun.

To be Continued…

_So there's part 2. Sorry if it seems a little hasty, but I wanted to get both Denkou and Koori introduced into the story before the real adventure begins. Constructive criticism is always accepted._


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